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The crowd listens as Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak speaks with Mung Chiang, dean of the College of Engineering, Wednesday, April 17, 2019, at Purdue University's Elliott Hall of Music in West Lafayette. The talk, “What If We Lose Control of Technology?,” is part of Purdue’s Ideas Festival, a series of events tied to the university's 150th anniversary. Nikos Frazier | Journal & Courier

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and Mung Chiang, dean of the College of Engineering, pose for a selfie, Wednesday, April 17, 2019, at Purdue University's Elliott Hall of Music in West Lafayette. The talk, “What If We Lose Control of Technology?,” is part of Purdue’s Ideas Festival, a series of events tied to the university's 150th anniversary. Nikos Frazier | Journal & Courier

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak speaks with Mung Chiang, dean of the College of Engineering, Wednesday, April 17, 2019, at Purdue University's Elliott Hall of Music in West Lafayette. The talk, “What If We Lose Control of Technology?,” is part of Purdue’s Ideas Festival, a series of events tied to the university's 150th anniversary. Nikos Frazier | Journal & Courier

The crowd listens as Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak speaks with Mung Chiang, dean of the College of Engineering, Wednesday, April 17, 2019, at Purdue University's Elliott Hall of Music in West Lafayette. The talk, “What If We Lose Control of Technology?,” is part of Purdue’s Ideas Festival, a series of events tied to the university's 150th anniversary. Nikos Frazier | Journal & Courier

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak speaks with Mung Chiang, dean of the College of Engineering, Wednesday, April 17, 2019, at Purdue University's Elliott Hall of Music in West Lafayette. The talk, “What If We Lose Control of Technology?,” is part of Purdue’s Ideas Festival, a series of events tied to the university's 150th anniversary. Nikos Frazier | Journal & Courier

Mung Chiang, dean of the College of Engineering, introduces Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak speaks with speaks, Wednesday, April 17, 2019 at Purdue University's Elliott Hall of Music in West Lafayette. The talk, “What If We Lose Control of Technology?,” is part of Purdue’s Ideas Festival, a series of events tied to the university's 150th anniversary. Nikos Frazier | Journal & Courier

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak walks on stage after being introduced by Mung Chiang, dean of the College of Engineering, Wednesday, April 17, 2019, at Purdue University's Elliott Hall of Music in West Lafayette. The talk, “What If We Lose Control of Technology?,” is part of Purdue’s Ideas Festival, a series of events tied to the university's 150th anniversary. Nikos Frazier | Journal & Courier

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak walks on stage after being introduced by Mung Chiang, dean of the College of Engineering, Wednesday, April 17, 2019, at Purdue University's Elliott Hall of Music in West Lafayette. The talk, “What If We Lose Control of Technology?,” is part of Purdue’s Ideas Festival, a series of events tied to the university's 150th anniversary. Nikos Frazier | Journal & Courier

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak walks on stage after being introduced by Mung Chiang, dean of the College of Engineering, Wednesday, April 17, 2019, at Purdue University's Elliott Hall of Music in West Lafayette. The talk, “What If We Lose Control of Technology?,” is part of Purdue’s Ideas Festival, a series of events tied to the university's 150th anniversary. Nikos Frazier | Journal & Courier

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak speaks with Mung Chiang, dean of the College of Engineering, Wednesday, April 17, 2019, at Purdue University's Elliott Hall of Music in West Lafayette. The talk, “What If We Lose Control of Technology?,” is part of Purdue’s Ideas Festival, a series of events tied to the university's 150th anniversary. Nikos Frazier | Journal & Courier

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak speaks with Mung Chiang, dean of the College of Engineering, Wednesday, April 17, 2019, at Purdue University's Elliott Hall of Music in West Lafayette. The talk, “What If We Lose Control of Technology?,” is part of Purdue’s Ideas Festival, a series of events tied to the university's 150th anniversary. Nikos Frazier | Journal & Courier

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak speaks with Mung Chiang, dean of the College of Engineering, Wednesday, April 17, 2019, at Purdue University's Elliott Hall of Music in West Lafayette. The talk, “What If We Lose Control of Technology?,” is part of Purdue’s Ideas Festival, a series of events tied to the university's 150th anniversary. Nikos Frazier | Journal & Courier

Mung Chiang, dean of the College of Engineering, listens as Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak speaks with speaks, Wednesday, April 17, 2019 at Purdue University's Elliott Hall of Music in West Lafayette. The talk, “What If We Lose Control of Technology?,” is part of Purdue’s Ideas Festival, a series of events tied to the university's 150th anniversary. Nikos Frazier | Journal & Courier

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak speaks with Mung Chiang, dean of the College of Engineering, Wednesday, April 17, 2019, at Purdue University's Elliott Hall of Music in West Lafayette. The talk, “What If We Lose Control of Technology?,” is part of Purdue’s Ideas Festival, a series of events tied to the university's 150th anniversary. Nikos Frazier | Journal & Courier

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak speaks with Mung Chiang, dean of the College of Engineering, Wednesday, April 17, 2019, at Purdue University's Elliott Hall of Music in West Lafayette. The talk, “What If We Lose Control of Technology?,” is part of Purdue’s Ideas Festival, a series of events tied to the university's 150th anniversary. Nikos Frazier | Journal & Courier

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak speaks with Mung Chiang, dean of the College of Engineering, Wednesday, April 17, 2019, at Purdue University's Elliott Hall of Music in West Lafayette. The talk, “What If We Lose Control of Technology?,” is part of Purdue’s Ideas Festival, a series of events tied to the university's 150th anniversary. Nikos Frazier | Journal & Courier

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak speaks with Mung Chiang, dean of the College of Engineering, Wednesday, April 17, 2019, at Purdue University's Elliott Hall of Music in West Lafayette. The talk, “What If We Lose Control of Technology?,” is part of Purdue’s Ideas Festival, a series of events tied to the university's 150th anniversary. Nikos Frazier | Journal & Courier

Mung Chiang, dean of the College of Engineering, reacts as Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak speaks with speaks, Wednesday, April 17, 2019 at Purdue University's Elliott Hall of Music in West Lafayette. The talk, “What If We Lose Control of Technology?,” is part of Purdue’s Ideas Festival, a series of events tied to the university's 150th anniversary. Nikos Frazier | Journal & Courier

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak speaks with Mung Chiang, dean of the College of Engineering, Wednesday, April 17, 2019, at Purdue University's Elliott Hall of Music in West Lafayette. The talk, “What If We Lose Control of Technology?,” is part of Purdue’s Ideas Festival, a series of events tied to the university's 150th anniversary. Nikos Frazier | Journal & Courier

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak reacts after seeing a Apple 2 produce the Purdue logo, Wednesday, April 17, 2019, at Purdue University's Elliott Hall of Music in West Lafayette. The talk, “What If We Lose Control of Technology?,” is part of Purdue’s Ideas Festival, a series of events tied to the university's 150th anniversary. Nikos Frazier | Journal & Courier

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak speaks with Mung Chiang, dean of the College of Engineering, Wednesday, April 17, 2019, at Purdue University's Elliott Hall of Music in West Lafayette. The talk, “What If We Lose Control of Technology?,” is part of Purdue’s Ideas Festival, a series of events tied to the university's 150th anniversary. Nikos Frazier | Journal & Courier

Apple's co-founder entered to Dr. Feelgood by Mötley Crüe (a callback from the sound team to Wozniak's 1982 US fest the band headlined) and paused in the glowing light of the lifesize 150 Years of Giant Leaps sign.

Applause echoed off the walls of a nearly sold-out 6,005-seat Elliot Hall of Music, which was a last minute change of venue out of popular demand.

Before even asking the first question, moderator Mung Chiang, Purdue’s engineering dean, indulged in his own fan craze, "As a nerd, I cannot resist the urge to take a selfie with you."

With every brash show of intelligence — Wozniak self-taught himself how to build any computer in high school — there were jokes about how broke young Steve Jobs was, quips about seeing then Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show and stories about prank calls to the Vatican (yes, that really happened).

Here are three takeaways from Purdue's Idea Festival discussion of "What IF We Lose Control of Technology?"

Artificial Intelligence won't replace humans

When Apple's now-infamous 1984 commercial ran at Super Bowl XVIII, Wozniak and Jobs had no idea how true that message of government surveillance would become decades later, Wozniak said.

With the exception of security risks, Wozniak said he believed all private data like photos, messages and calendars should not be accessible without the consent of the user.

One of the Ideas Festival’s themes is “Artificial Intelligence, Algorithms and Automation."

While he embraced the idea of artificial intelligence — the Nikes he was wearing wear tightened and loosened through an app — he warned that there needs to be a human backup.

"We should strive for machines that can do what humans do, but I don't think we're ever going to make it," he said. "I use to believe we were going to make it."

Wozniak used the example of computers being able to identify pictures of dogs more quickly than humans. However, he pointed out, those computers can't do what a toddler can and that's differentiate between a picture of a dog and an actual living dog.

So while machines can run the tests faster, humans still have the advantage when it comes to strategy and deductive reasoning, he said.

"Even if you had a computer that could do a billion million things a second it would never solve a problem that way, you need an approach to get there quickly," he said. "Human brains have always been able to do that. So, I'm not worried about the human brain being replaced for those decisions."

How far should technology go?

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and Mung Chiang, dean of the College of Engineering, pose for a selfie, Wednesday, April 17, 2019, at Purdue University's Elliott Hall of Music in West Lafayette. The talk, “What If We Lose Control of Technology?,” is part of Purdue’s Ideas Festival, a series of events tied to the university's 150th anniversary.(Photo: Nikos Frazier | Journal & Courier)

After 40 minutes of discussion, Chiang opened the floor to public questions and four lines immediately formed, a dozen deep at all angles of the stage.

Questions ranged from favorite sci-fi movies to idea pitches to quantum computing. And, one clever audience member asked for an autograph on his iPhone, which Wozniak obliged.

A handful of questions centered around the role of technology in the future. One audience member asked why brilliant minds like Wozniak haven't invented a solution to curing cancer. While another attendee questioned if technology has already gone too far.

The problem with creating a boundary on technology, Wozniak said, is that it's a boundless concept.

"It's like science, it's like math, it's learning," he said. "You study and study. You study the atom and you end up with the atom bomb."

Creating products for the everyday person

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak walks on stage after being introduced by Mung Chiang, dean of the College of Engineering, Wednesday, April 17, 2019, at Purdue University's Elliott Hall of Music in West Lafayette. The talk, “What If We Lose Control of Technology?,” is part of Purdue’s Ideas Festival, a series of events tied to the university's 150th anniversary.(Photo: Nikos Frazier | Journal & Courier)

Wozniak is largely recognized as a pioneer of the personal computer revolution while Jobs became the face of innovation and, more broadly, the brand of Apple.

"My goal in life was to be a great engineer," Wozniak said. "Not to make a technological impact that would change the world, not to start companies, just to be a great engineer."

In following that passion, which was shared by many at the event hosted by the College of Engineering, Wozniak set out to make technology that could be accessible to everyday people.

"The human being, the user, is more important than the technology," he said.

In some cases, he said, the world has gone backward in user accessibility. But, Wozniak countered that his favorite app for a long time was Siri because voice technology is intuitive for the average user.

Wozniak's advice to young entrepreneurs in the crowd was to not waste any spare time and to build with a team of like-minded individuals.

"Find some makers, find people who really know how to get jobs done — engineers," he said. "You better be associated with engineers if you want to think of the best ideas."